The Mome Rats
by Rose Priestess
Summary: The story of the Mome rats is one that dates back before humans inhabited the planet. Harmless folktale or ancestral warning?


"The Mome Rats"  
by Rose Priestess  
  
Obligatory Disclaimer: The characters of "Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon" belong to Takeuchi Naoko, Toei, Kodansha, etc.  
  
My name is Chiba Mamoru. I am nineteen years old and in my sophomore year of college. My life is great: I've got my own apartment, grades are good, and I'm pretty popular. Well, life *was* great until the day my girlfriend, Usagi, broke up with me. I was crushed.  
  
I decided to drown my sorrows at the Crown Fruit Parlor where I ran into my good friend, Furuhata Motoki. Motoki worked at the Crown Game Centre next door and his little sister, Unazuki, waited tables here. We sat in one of the antiseptic smelling booths near the back.  
  
After an awkward bout of silence, Motoki asked, "Alright, what's bothering you? You don't usually come in here during the week unless Usagi's with you."  
  
At the mention of her name, I poured out my story of our breakup to him. I would tell it to you as well, but I'm sure you'd just stop listening after the third or fourth hour.  
  
I swept the dark hair out of my eyes. "I wish there was something I could do..." The end of our relationship was extraordinarily painful for me seeing as how Usagi was all I could think about. My parents died in a car accident when I was very young and Usagi had been my family up until today.  
  
Being the friend that he is, Motoki didn't fall asleep once during my emotional tirade. What a pal! "That's really awful, Mamoru-kun. I don't know if this'll cheer you up, but there are legends about creatures called Mome rats. They come from the moon and if you find one on the night of a blue moon, you'll be granted a wish."  
  
This immediately perked my interest. I knew that it was just an old folktale, but if Usagi would only take me back, then I could die a happy man. The thought suddenly occurred to me: tonight was a blue moon. "Motoki-kun! How do you find one of these 'Mome rats'?" I had to plan quickly if I wanted to find one of the little buggers.  
  
"Well, according to the legend, you summon them and they appear in the moonbeam that reflects off a still pool of water. You're not actually going to try and catch one are you? Don't you know it's just a story?"  
  
"What? Of course I know that. It's...uh...for one of my...classes. Yeah, that's the ticket!" By that time, I had a crazy glint in my eye and a dream that had Usagi and I together always. Motoki most likely thought that I was out of my gourd.  
  
"Er...okay, well, I gotta get back to work now. See ya!" He was gone in a flash, probably glad to return to the boredom of employment.  
  
  
That night, the moon was out in a bright blaze of beauty. Can you tell I like B words? Unfortunately, there were no bodies of water near me, so I did the most logical thing I could think of: I panicked. "Augh! Now I'll never catch that damn Mome rat!"  
  
As a last resort, I hauled a sloshing bucket of water out front and placed it directly under the moonlight. Nothing. I waited longer, still nothing. I even chanted to the Mome rat god, if there was one. I eventually got fed up with the whole thing and went inside to read. "Hmph, what a waste of time," I murmured to myself.  
  
Later, I had started to peacefully doze off when I heard, or rather felt, the brush of fur on my scalp. My eyes turned their attention to this newfound diversion and...and...I shrieked like a little girl. I knocked the creature off my head and into a nearby wall. It stumbled to its feet, dazed, but not injured. I stared in shock at it.  
  
It was mainly comprised of two legs with a tuft of fur (or was it hair? I really can't be sure) where they joined at the top. The creature's stature was a mere six inches or so and normally I wouldn't be afraid of something so puny, but the rows of razor sharp teeth weren't exactly friendly looking either.  
  
I backed up against the window and something outside caught my attention. The bucket I had placed there was now teeming with these maniacal critters! "Mome rats..." To make a long story short, I managed to escape from the rat in my apartment and warn my neighbors. The neightbors, of course, didn't believe me, so I called the police.  
  
That's when they threw me in here with all the other crazies. I'm not crazy, though. If I was and the Mome rats were all just in my imagination, the employees and the other patients in the asylum would be alive instead of the corpses that lay before me. How many people have they claimed? What about Motoki, Unazuki, and my beloved Usagi? Is Tokyo still out there?  
  
Oh, I shouldn't be bothering you with my story anyway. I'm surprised you even listened to it in the first place. But wait, why are you smiling? I can even see my distorted reflection in your shiny teeth. Stop looking at me like that. Come on now, please, oh God...NO!"  
  
Author Notes: I got the idea of the Mome rats from the Disney version of "Alice in Wonderland" after I had a dream similar to this story about them. As always, reviews, flames, and MSTs are appreciated! 


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